SPECIAL people in need of help spoke yesterday of how The Health Lottery has changed their lives.

Only three months after its launch more than £8million has been raised for local good causes, helping millions of the young, elderly, vulnerable and disadvantaged.

The incredible cash injection is a lifeline for scores of charities and smaller organisations.

Lesley Meacham, family support worker at ADAPT Prembabies, has helped thousands of parents of premature babies at Leicester Royal Infirmary since the charity was founded in 1995.

A Health Lottery grant means she can now take on an extra worker. “We don’t fit into the normal criteria for a lot of funding streams, so The Health Lottery provided us with a lifeline,” she said.

“We were at the point of thinking that by Easter we would be winding down, but this money means we can continue to provide invaluable advice and emotional support to parents at an extremely traumatic time. We are over the moon.”

In these tough economic times money from The Health Lottery has been invaluable.

Linda Jennings, WRVS’s head of quality and service development

Health Lottery cash is enabling Admiral Nursing Direct to help the rising tide of dementia sufferers. Its lead nurse, Ian Weatherhead, said: “There are 750,000 people with dementia in the UK and that is going to double in the next few years. Everybody is susceptible, it affects the entire family and whole structure of communities.

“We’re delighted to receive Health Lottery funding as these vital grants have helped us establish new Admiral posts to provide emotional and psychological support, going through the whole journey of someone with dementia as the illness changes over the years.”

The Health Lottery has a simple aim – to make local life better.

But it has also created vast wealth for its many winners. Tickets cost £1, with 20p in every pound going to good causes.

Players matching three balls are guaranteed £50, while four means £500. Picking five balls lands a jackpot of £100,000. Already 207,000 prizes of at least £50 have been won and there have been more than 30 winners of the £100,000 top prize.

Two lucky punters scooped £200,000 each in two special draws while another bought a jackpot- winning £100,000 ticket twice.

Anne Roberts, chief executive of Crossroads Care, which provides home-based respite for carers, said: “Health Lottery funding has truly helped Crossroads Care’s work in supporting carers, allowing us to work with more families.

“The impact of being a carer is significant and often carers will see their own health suffer. When that happens two people need to be cared for. Crossroads supports people of all ages and we do that by giving them time to themselves.

“Six million people in the UK care for somebody and this number is set to rise significantly as people live longer.”

The Health Lottery pumps vast sums of cash to good causes that fall outside the umbrella of the NHS. Fifty-one lottery societies across the country decide where the money goes, but every area of Britain benefits equally.

Elderly people are helped to remain independent under Health Lottery cash going to the WRVS, which estimates that by 2015, 500,000 people will be reliant upon its services.

Linda Jennings, the charity’s head of quality and service development, said: “Many older people are isolated in their communities. The WRVS, with Health Lottery support, provides a lifeline and enables older people to live their lives the way they want to live them – independently, happily and healthy.

“In these tough economic times money from The Health Lottery has been invaluable. We want to continue to improve the lives of older people and make Great Britain a great place to grow old.”

The Health Lottery – Britain’s brightest – is backed by Northern & Shell, which owns the Daily Express and Channel 5. It has been endorsed by celebrities such as Eamonn Holmes, Melinda Messenger, Kate Lawler and Gavin & Stacey star Joanna Page.

Martin Hall, chief executive of the Health Lottery, said: “A small amount of money to some of these smaller charities is life-changing.

“This is about pounds that make a difference. It’s incredibly powerful to think that in just 15 weeks £8million that didn’t exist before, now exists. We want to continue this journey and help make an incredible difference to millions of lives.”

Health Lottery tickets are available from 40,000 retailers, and players can join in the fun online at www.healthlottery.co.uk.

Professor Jenny Popay, chairman of the People’s Health Trust, which distributes Health Lottery money, said: “We are funding projects to support young adults with learning difficulties, funding support for families caring for people with dementia, making the environment more accessible and many more things.

“These are very difficult times but you could say this money is filling in the gaps, funding local action to support the health and wellbeing of people all over England, Scotland and Wales.”

The Health Lottery has pledged to raise £50million for good causes within its first year.

Comments Unavailable

Sorry, we are unable to accept comments about this article
at the moment. However, you will find some great articles
which you can comment on right now in our
Comment section.